Frederick w



(No Model.)

F. W. HBDGBLAND.

DEVICE lPOR THROWING GOUPLBRS 0F ORGANS INTO ACTION.

No. 476,266. Patented June 7,1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK WV. HEDGELAND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE i W. W. KIMBALL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

DEVICE FOR THROWING COUPLERS OF ORGANS INTO ACTION.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 476,266, dated June 7, 1892.

Application filed November 27, 1891. Serial No. 413,317. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. HEDGE- LAND, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful lmprovement in Devices for Throwing Couplers of Organs into Action, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for throwing couplers of organs into and out of action, and is a substitute for the stopaction usually employed for that purpose.

The nature of the improvement is brieiiy as follows: Upon the front of the key-desk and just below the manual I place a rocking level` adapted to be operated by the thumb or `1nger of the player and which has two positions to which it can `be moved by pressing upon one end or the other, according as it is desired to throw the couplers into or out of action. This lever is in such proximity to the keymanual as to permit its ready movement without removing the hand from the keys. The pivot or shaft upon the end of which this lever is secured extends inward through the desk-front and upon its inner end is provided with a hooked end, which serves as a crank to move a slide placed under the couplerboard. This slide has wedges upon its upper surface, and the coupler-board is provided with recesses having sloping or inclined sides adapted to receive the wedges upon the slide. The rocking of the thumb-lever moves the slide from one side of the manual toward the other, and either brings the wedges under the recesses in the coupler-board or moves them out from such recesses. In the former case the slide allows the coupler-board to fall and carry the couplers out of action and in the latter case it lifts the coupler-board and brings the couplers into operative position;

In the drawings, I show at Figure 1 a front elevation of the key-desk of an organ to which my improvement has been applied; at Fig. 2, a vertical section through the key-desk and adjacent parts of the organ, and at Fig. 3, a perspective of the rocking lever and its pivotal support.

In the drawings, A may represent the keys,

B the stop-board, and C the front of the keydesk. Just below the keys and in front of the front C is placed a rocking lever D, each end of which is provided with a button d, adapted to be pressed upon bythe thumb of theplayer. This lever is supported upon a pivot or shaft E, passing through the front C and sustained therein, and by a bearing f, attached to the rail F. At its inner end this pivot, which may be most conveniently made of wire, is bent downward to form the arm or crank e. This arm e engages with a sliding board G, which at the proper places is provided with wedges g, extending upward, as shown.

II is the board upon which the couplers are mounted, hinged at m, so as to swing at its front edge, and it is recessed over the slide with recesses h, corresponding to the wedges g in shape-that is to say, they are inclined upon one side in the same direction as are the upper surfaces of the wedges, so that the wedges when moved in one direction will pass under the recesses and allow the couplerboard to fall from the operative to the nonoperative position, and when the wedges are moved in the opposite direction the couplerboard will be lifted from the non-operative to the acting position. By this device the couplers can be thrown into or out of action very conveniently and in an instant of time.

In order to avoid moving the lever D too far, I provide a device which stops its motion at the proper time. This device may consist of a block I, having sloping sides, preferably covered with felt c'.

I have shown this invention as applied to a folding keyboard and stop-action because by reason of its construction it obviates some of the difficulties which would be met with in such keyboard if it were attempted to operate the coupler-board by the means formerly einployed. This folding keyboard is hinged to the case at o, the stops are all provided with a pivotal joint at p, and there is no attachment by either the couplers or the keys te the actions. These features all unite to permit the folding of the desk; but I do not make any claim herein to them, as they form the subject of an application already filed. The

invention, however, is also equally Well adapted to be used upon n, permanently-atmohed, :L stationary, or a detachable keyboard.

I Claiml. The combination, with n. keyboard and coupler, of a thumb-lever D, L pivotal su pport upon which the Same may be rocked, and means reeeving motion from said pivotal support for operating the coupler-board, Substanro tially as specified.

2. The combination, with the keys and the Coupler-board, of a thumb-lever D, actuating a orankearm e, and lshe slide provided with Wedges and receiving motion from Said crankarm, Substantially as set forth.

FREDERICK V. HEDGELAND.

.Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, EMMA HACK. 

